Music
Setlist
The Discover Setlist – February 7
Tune in to what's been playing at Ticketmaster this week – including music from Janet Jackson, Wet Leg and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
‘The Way It Shatters’ – Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
There might not be another band in the world with as solid a strike rate as Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. ‘The Way It Shatters’ is all about its bassline and textured guitar parts. That bassline keeps on descending right up until it stops dead and launches into an undeniable groove, like falling down the stairs and styling it out into a slick dance move. Melbourne’s finest are back and not a moment too soon. MG
‘Born 100 Times’ – Empath
A Friday night track if ever there was one, Empath’s gloriously chaotic spasm of bubblegum noise punk is an ode to running around a carnival, getting high on wine slushies and throwing up on the waltzer. Check out the video to watch the band doing just that, or stick the song on at the end of any hard day/week/Zoom call to get drunk on the same mad sherbet energy. PB
‘Circles Around This Town’ – Maren Morris
Her first release of 2022 and the lead single from her upcoming third studio album Humble Quest, Maren Morris is back with ‘Circles Around This Town’. Written in 2020 during a “deeply uninspired” period, Morris joined forces with Ryan Hurd and Julia Michaels to write about her journey to success from moving to Nashville to signing a recording contract. The easy-going country sound will be familiar to Morris fans who have grown to love her musical storytelling. OC
‘Postman’ – Toro Y Moi
It’s never easy guessing which way California chill guy Chaz Bear will go next with Toro Y Moi; the last few releases have included the DnB-leaning Flume colab ‘The Difference’, a funky yacht rock rendition of Joe Bataan’s ‘Ordinary Guy’, not to mention the drastically eclectic mixtape Soul Trash. But if his wobbly new single ‘Magazine’ is anything to go by, Chaz’s forthcoming album Mahal looks to be playful and sassy in all the right places. JB
‘Too Late Now’ – Wet Leg
Last week’s video release for ‘Oh No’ was a reminder of the double A-side that accompanied it last November – and a reminder too of just how great Wet Leg‘s debut LP is already sounding with a good two months still to go before it actually comes out. It seems almost a shame to listen to the album closer without the rest of the tracks, but ‘Too Late Now’ is too good not to keep on repeat – a tender ballad that drifts into an angry punk anthem about body hair, bubble bath and driving into the sea. PB
‘Now & Then’ – Sjowgren
American indie pop trio Sjowgren have gifted me with the ultimate road trip tune in ‘Now & Then’. The slow build of this 2017 track often forms the soundtrack of a weekend adventure for me. The steady beat of the drums and the catchy chorus also means you’ll likely have this one stuck in your head when you return to work on Monday morning. OC
‘You Just May Be The One’ – The Monkees
I grew up on reruns of The Monkees but still never really took them seriously until I developed an obsession with West Coast jangle pop. In that regard, the late great Mike Nesmith was a total force. With his trusty 12-string Gretsch, his playing wouldn’t have been out of place on a Byrds record. ‘You Just May Be The One’, penned and sung by Nesmith is a sparkling gem of a song and proof that they were so much more than their “manufactured” tag. MG
‘I Know You Know Me’ – Caroline Spence Ft. Matt Berninger
Matt Berninger has been busy. Back on stage this summer with The National, he’s been filling his time between albums recording with Julia Stone, making great Velvet Underground covers and writing the soundtrack to Joe Wright’s Cyrano. This week he’s also been duetting with Nashville singer-songwriter Caroline Spence on ‘I Know You Know Me’, matching his smokey bar-fly sadness with her horizon-filled yearning to make the couples therapy ballad you didn’t know you needed. PB
Estación Esperanza – Sofia Kourtesis
Berlin-based Peruvian DJ Sofia Kourtesis was one of my favourite finds of 2021, though I’ve put her debut EP Fresia Magdalena on ice until this summer for when it’ll be best served. In the meantime, this mesmerising, Manu Chau-sampled offering is really doing enough to remind us why she’ll soon be one of the biggest names in dance music. JB
‘Rhythm Nation’ – Janet Jackson
I’ve had this banger on repeat over the last number of weeks after watching the A&E documentary JANET JACKSON.. The four-part series took a deeper look at the career of the ground-breaking artist and naturally, the artist’s 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814. The video for the song earned two MTV Video Music Awards, a Billboard Award, a Grammy Award, and the costume Jackson wore was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. It’s five-and-a-half minutes of head-nodding goodness and will surely only drag you down the Janet Jackson rabbit hole like it did me. OC
Hear February’s full Discover Setlist below:
Tickets are on sale now or soon for many of the names on this week’s list at ticketmaster.co.uk. Check back next week to listen to another Discover Setlist.
